Keep Safe Cymru Card

South Wales Police, Learning Disability Services and Mencap Cymru, have jointly developed a Keep Safe Card Scheme for anyone in the South Wales force area with a Learning Disability, Mental Health or Dementia and communication need. The scheme is designed to make people more aware of their personal safety, to encourage reporting of crime – especially hate crime – and to seek help if they need it. It will also help those providing assistance, such as the Police, to access support for the user of the card and understand how to make them feel safer.

If the card holder needs assistance, whether they are lost, a victim of crime or any situation that means they need some extra support, they can use the card to access this help. The card will hold basic information about the individual such as how they communicate, any health issues and any emergency contacts such as parents or carers.

When an individual registers for a keep safe card, they will also be given access to the Police Disability Line. This is a dedicated non-emergency telephone number for people with a disability to use to contact the police. When calling this number, the Call handler will be aware before they speak to the caller that they have a disability.

During the telephone call, the call handler will be able to access information provided on the registration number.

This will ensure that the call handler is aware of any additional needs the caller may have and can pass it onto any policing resource managing their report. This is not an alternative to the emergency 999 service; it is to be used instead of the non-emergency telephone number only.

To access this scheme, please complete a registration form, you can do this one of three ways:

Upon the receipt of a completed form, a Keep Safe Card information pack will be sent to the new card holder/Carer and they may begin using it straight away. The information provided on the registration form is for police use only and will not be shared with any third parties.

In addition to this, Mencap have provided key points to remember when communicating with someone who has a Learning Disability. This scheme has been developed to ensure that someone with a Learning Disability or mental health and communication need is supported whilst outside of their home. It is important that they can access help when it’s needed including reporting an incident to the Police.

Next Generation Text Service
As part of our commitment to members of the public with communication difficulties, Keep Safe Cymru service users can also register with Next Generation Text Service. The organisation provides an App, which will make it much easier for people with hearing and speech impairment to make phone calls.